Jozef Puska has been found guilty by a jury of the murder of Offaly school teacher Ashling Murphy.
The Slovakian national will now face a life sentence for the murder of the 23-year old teacher and traditional musician, who was killed while out running at the Grand Canal in Tullamore on 12 January 2022.
The jury returned its unanimous verdict today, following a four week trial, with the foreman informing the judge they had reached a verdict. The jury took around two hours to reach the verdict.
A court clerk read out the verdict as Puska stood in the dock, beside his translator who interpreted the verdict – that the 33-year-old was guilty of murder.
Puska, of Lynally Grove in Mucklagh, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of the talented musician, who was described by her family in the wake of her death as a “beautiful” and “talented” daughter.
The Central Criminal Court heard last month how Ms Murphy was stabbed 11 times on the right side of her neck while she was jogging on the Grand Canal in Tullamore on the afternoon of 12 January 2022.
This week, the jury at the trial heard that there was “overwhelming” evidence that the Slovakian was guilty of the murder of the schoolteacher and that he “fabricated” a “contemptible” story denying the killing.
“He killed her, he killed her brutally by inflicting stab wounds upon her,” senior counsel Anne-Marie Lawlor said in her closing address to the jury at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, as she accused Mr Puska of telling “lies after lies after lies”.
During the trial, Puska had claimed he was attacked and stabbed by a masked man, claiming that the same individual had attacked and stabbed Ms Murphy before fleeing.
He also claimed that an eyewitness, who spoke of seeing Puska holding Ms Murphy down, actually saw him “trying to help” the young woman.
Michael Bowman SC, for the accused said that killing of Ms Murphy was barbaric and horrible and that the prosecution needed to establish guilt case beyond reasonable doubt.
The jury in the trial of Puska had begun deliberating on a verdict on Wednesday afternoon, resuming deliberations on Thursday morning.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt today said the Murphy family had the option of providing victim impact statements, and that he hoped they would do so.
He said Puska would face a day of reckoning, telling the courtroom: “We have evil in this room. No doubt about that.” He added that he was “glad” the jury did “not waste any more of your valuable time with Puska’s nonsense”, “because that’s what it was.”
As the judge spoke, Ms Murphy’s mother held a photograph of Ashling.
Ms Murphy’s friends and family applauded as the jurors left the jury box.
Puska will be sentenced on 17 November.
More to follow.